...The Nash (Calgary)

Darrin's take:
Since S was born, we have made a point of getting out each weekend for a date night. In fact, when I think back over the past year it seems like we've been dining out even more than when it was just the two of us. After a while, my memory of the dishes I've eaten start to blend into one, save for a few spectacular plates that still remain as fresh and vivid in my mind as when I took that first bite. One such dish was from our dinner at The Nash a few weeks ago. The meal was by no means perfect (see last paragraph), but sometimes the strength of one dish can shape your entire perception of a meal.

We started off our evening with a generous bowl of steamed PEI mussels in a spicy chorizo broth. The pairing of shellfish and pork is a classic one and the chorizo (although a bit on the tough side) made for a spicy counterpoint to the plump mussels. The frites served alongside were sprinkled with herbs and were crispy enough that they retained their crunch even after sopping up the delicious broth.

Chicken wings may seem a bit out of place in a place as decidely upscale as The Nash but their preparation here had a certain finesse and care that went beyond what you get at the local pub. Each wing was deep fried to perfection then coated in a spicy-buttery buffalo wing sauce and topped with crisp and tart watermelon pickles. A side of subtly flavoured ranch dipping sauce added even more decadence.

The Josper Oven roasted simple fish that evening was a whole branzino. The high heat of their special charcoal grill/oven resulted in a crispy skin on the fish while maintaining the moisture in the flesh. The fish was perfumed with fennel and lemon from the inside out and served with grilled lemon and a parsley salad. The wait staff can debone and serve the fish table side, but the option of doing it yourself is also available.

Now for the dish that makes my mouth water at the mere thought it of it; the AAA rib eye steak. As expected, the meat and its preparation were first class, but it was the accompaniments that pushed the overall experience to just the edge of over indulgence without going too far. Atop the rib steak were pillowy soft blue cheese gnocchi, sautéed wild mushrooms, sweet green beans, cauliflower and an airy spinach puree. A rich gravy was poured over the meat table side and was just the right consistency and amount to envelop each morsel of steak.

Chrissy's take:
On the one hand, the food at The Nash was delicious but on the other hand we have had a few unfortunate incidents that are hard to overlook. You will notice we had the mussels to share for an appetizer and I had the branzino as my main. Despite the food tasting great at the time, a few hours later I had food poisoning that kept me up all evening. I was concerned that perhaps this was something that could be prevented so I emailed their management to politely inform them of the incident. I have yet to receive a message back two weeks later. We can't help but remember the time we had booked a table weeks in advance at Notable (same ownership as Nash) for Valentines Day. When we called a day before our reservation to confirm our table, our reservation had never been made according to the staff. The thing is, you have to call to make a reservation so we know it wasn't us that made some sort of error using the online system. Despite this we have returned to Notable with friends and family because of the food. We can't say for sure its bad luck, poor service or management but I know I'm not jumping at the chance to return to Nash.